This Week In Pizza: Za Cafe Pizzeria and Bar

 

 

Here's some Inside Baseball: anytime I struggle for how to open one of these reviews (which is basically every single time) I like to look into the name of the place and see if there's some kind of interesting factoid or joke I can dig out of it. 

In this case we're looking at the word "za", which means what exactly? Is there a particular meaning in another language? A slang that isn't exactly translatable? Well! "Za" has many associations in the diction of a variety of global cultures... depending on how much you really wanna trust Google. '.za' is also the internet domain code (think .ca here in Canada) for the country of South Africa, something which dates back to the heavy Dutch influence (the "za" stands for Zuid-Afrika) in the last few hundred years of their history... isn't colonialism fun?

'Za' is also... and I swear I did not know this... slang for marijuana, used mostly in text form and possibly meaning it's some potent shit (way to make me feel old and out of touch, internet). Mostly though, seemingly the general consensus about what 'za' actually means... is pizza. Yeah. 

I mean, considering I'm writing a pizza review here and not a paper on anthropology, this all feels obvious but seriously though... calling your pizza place "Za"? Consider how 'za' is just 'pizza' in shortened form... essentially making the name of this restaurant "Pizza Cafe Pizzeria and Bar". Goofy right? Detective Comics Comics would like a word. 

This isn't even the first place I've ever reviewed named Za! There's a Winnipeg pizza chain named "Za Pizza Bistro" that opened up in downtown Toronto back in 2018. They were part of a quick fad of 'pizza places that for a flat price let you put anything and everything on a pizza while we build it in front of you, like a sub sandwich shop' that hit the Toronto pizza scene for a bit (the big American chain Blaze was another that dipped their toes here for a time). Of them all it appears only Pi Co has still survived with any kind of presence in the years since. 

Honestly, the only thing I remember at all about Pizza Pizza Bistro (sorry I mean "Za" Pizza Bistro) is going after work with a couple of co-workers, when one of them got at least eight toppings on their little thin pizza. Eight! And not even toppings that at all work together! I wish I'd taken a picture (I looked into the archives I swear) but it was something like peppers and olives and artichokes and two different kinds of sausage and cucumbers and onions and sliced tomatoes and pineapple and chicken and quite probably more. There might've been ranch on this creature. I've been in this pizza game a long time now and few pizzas I've ever seen can match the sheer monsterism of that one.   

Za Bistro was an early casualty of the pandemic (watching people build your pizza like a submarine sandwich while also social distancing... tough one) but they still seem to be doing fine in Winnipeg. Za Cafe, the place we're actually here to talk about (oh right, them) well... I have no clue what their deal is, backstory-wise I mean. They have two locations (one on the border of Mississauga/Brampton) and the one within sight of Old City Hall on Bay Street. The latter spot happens to be on my way to the Winter job... and after probably a dozen miserable Queen streetcar rides and passing by Za Cafe without the energy, time or hunger... I finally left home comfortably early enough even if the infamous 501 did its worst (which it usually does).

 

 

 

There's a decent amount of construction/building restoration going on at the corner of Bay and Richmond Street West, leaving some of the ground level businesses obscured by scaffolding, Za Cafe included. It's nearly impossible to notice the place even exists unless you're deliberately seeking it out or walking very slowly right past it. This likely explains why the restaurant was completely clear of patrons at 4:45pm when I wandered in for my takeout pie, although 2-5pm are typical restaurant dead-hours plus it was also a Monday. Being shrouded by several metal poles doesn't help, I'm sure.

The interior of the place is certainly going for your "sleek yet casual Financial District restaurant" vibe, with these red velvet-looking chairs and marble walls and counters (frankly it reminded me more of a salon than anything else). Places like this don't particularly impress me: It's all clean and elegant looking but there just isn't any heart, any imagination or character. It sticks in your mind about as well as the big box artwork upon the walls. A comfortable place to have a meal? No doubt, but I also doubt a place like this leaves as much of a distinct memory compared to an old school spot that's like walking half a century into the past, or the Colborne Piano Piano where the decor of the place is totally vivid and unforgettably wild. This kind of stuff doesn't affect my grading of the actual pizza, not really... it's just when a place feels semi-soulless I have to mention it. 

There's a modest wine selection, considerable cocktail tools behind the bar (a mallet even, plus I know dehydrated garnish when I see it) with some premium/import name beers on tap. It can be a bit awkward waiting for a takeout order in a completely empty restaurant with only the bartender/server for company... who also happened to be a pleasant but extremely shy young lady stuck lingering in the front of the restaurant because, aside from the kitchen staff, she was the only employee there. It's moments like this I'm especially glad I do these reviews as incognito as possible: mentioning I planned to review the place would've dialed the Awkward Meter past safe-for-consumption levels.

 

          

Jumping into the pizza itself! As you can see, Za Cafe does the Neapolitan wood fired oven thing, and this particular pie (named their "Spicy House Sausage") has a nice spread of toppings on it: crumbled sausage, rapini, thinly sliced garlic, basil, oregano (in there somewhere) some green chilies and of course standard tomato sauce and cheese. 

There's a good even thinness (which the photo shows) to the shape and the bake of the pie, and I certainly did not find this as floppy or droopy as some pizzas in this style can be. Some good bubbles of char as well, enough to keep each bite of crust interesting. 

Texture-wise... it gives you exactly what you want with this kind of pizza: softness, folds well, a good presence of gooey cheese, it's not particularly chewy even once cooled off... just a general sense of freshness within all the key ingredients. I think I'd like a bit more airiness or fluffiness within the breadier spots of the crust itself: it's sort of 'just there' rather than adding anything of interest to the overall product here, but as is its entirely fine.

 

 

Doubling down on the lead photo because, I think I can state objectively that this is an extremely pretty looking pizza. Just something very visually appealing and colourful about those pockets of white cheese among all the greens and reds surrounding it. 

How about the taste? I gotta say... it tastes almost as good as it looks. Nothing flavour-wise is super vibrant, but everything here (the sauce, the sausage, the rapini, the cheese, the dough etc) works really well together. This is 'Team Effort, the Pizza'... elevating elements that are merely good into something notably better than the overall sum of its parts. 

If anything here is close to outstanding, it's the cheese. Very soft, light and buttery... while its even distribution throughout the pizza is another positive point in how well this thing was constructed. The lightness of this mozzarella also helps cut through the bitterness of the rapini (which itself isn't all that garlicy or bitter) and the slight oiliness of the sausage. 

Speaking of that sausage (this is named their Spicy House Sausage pizza after all) the only real sting I get from the pork itself (beyond occasional fennel seeds) is a hint of a chili oil the pizza is perhaps lightly dressed in, or marinated within the sausage itself. The real fire, a modest one, are in the little green chilies hiding among the green bits of rapini... they have some punch. As for the sausage bits they have a pleasant loose crumbling texture even if there is not much particular flavour beyond that chili oil taste. 

Another secret weapon here is the basil. Excellent call: a leafy zing that really gives a finishing extra layer among the other flavours. I don't recall much about the tomato sauce, which normally isn't a good sign, but I think it leaned more on the sweeter side and it certainly didn't offend me via it being too generically sweet or just not there at all. The overall texture is likewise a general positive: good soft chew, a bit of crisp char here and there, and held up pretty well on the reheat test as well even with a crispier base. 

 

 

Overall! PizZa Cafe Pizzeria was not a disappointment, in fact it probably slightly surpassed my moderate expectations. I think the biggest weakness here is how very 'just good' all these ingredients and toppings are individually... the primary reason I'm going to give Za a strong score is because, in this experience, all of this worked so very tastily and well together it was kind of a perfect storm. 

Good concept and execution within designing a pizza deserves points and they've earned them... but I suspect one of their simpler offerings, such as a basic Margherita or a pie with just cheese and pepperoni in the spotlight... good chance it might not be quite as successful. Aside from the cheese, none of these ingredients were all that vivid or memorable on their own. 

As such, if you do check them out I'd recommend one of the more interesting concoctions on their menu. They're kind of on the verge of a recommendation from me, only because that one pizza worked so well to my tastes but knowing the great grade I'm about to give might not match their overall flavour quality. Still, I can only go off of what I tasted and experienced and so Za Cafe gets a solid "B+" from me. Genuinely really enjoyed this one and could be a potential borderline Top 50 in Toronto if indeed their simpler pizzas are as tasty as the one I had.

Plus one more time... that pizza just looks so darn nice.